The present invention relates to control systems for cycles and has been developed with particular attention paid to the possible application to competition bicycles. In any case, the reference to this possible application, and in particular the reference to the application to racing bicycles, must not be interpreted as limiting the possible field of application of the invention.
Over the last few years there has developed, in the cycle sector, the tendency to use sensors of various nature so as to be able to acquire information regarding the conditions of use/behaviour of the means, the aim being to be able to intervene through actuators of various nature to modifyxe2x80x94according to certain criteria, and acting both in an automatic way and according to specific commands issued by the user ? the conditions of use/behaviour of the means, in particular as regards its set.
This tendency is expressed in the direction of a continuous increase in the quantity of data picked up and processed, which results in the need to have available increasingly more sophisticated and articulated systems, these being systems which, since they have to be mounted on board the cycle, must not adversely affect the performance of the latter, in particular in terms of weight, overall dimensions, and consumption of electrical energy.
The purpose of the present invention is to meet the ever more demanding needs felt in the sector, overcoming the drawbacks outlined above.
According to the present invention, this purpose is achieved thanks to a system having the characteristics specifically called for in the claims which follow.
In brief, the system according to the invention is based on a multiprocessor electronic structure for controlling and managing operation of a cycle, such as a competition bicycle.
The solution according to the invention is based upon the identification of functional areas to be modularized, with the aim of arriving at an integrated control system for controlling the functions of the cycle and for monitoring the set of the cycle during use, also to obtain an improvement in the overall performance of the system made up of the cycle and its user. In particular, the architecture deriving from the modularization in functional units enables a careful evaluation of the signal-propagation timing to be made in the framework of the system, at the same time achieving a reduction in the number of connections.